


Thranduil Oropherion

by Te_Taniwha



Category: The Lord of the Rings - J. R. R. Tolkien
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Angst, Angst and Feels, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Elves, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Heavy Angst, Mirkwood, Reincarnation, Suffering, Tragic Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-14
Updated: 2018-04-29
Packaged: 2019-04-22 17:10:30
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 10,245
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14313345
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Te_Taniwha/pseuds/Te_Taniwha
Summary: She watched over him, through it all. Silently protecting. Appreciating. Loving.By the time he realises his feelings for her, it is already too late.





	1. Never her

I do not own Lord of the Rings, or The Hobbit. I honestly don't have the brain capacity for that.

Enjoy =)

\----------  
She was found abandoned in a forest cabin at the tender age of ten by a nearby patrol. Here an ellon (male elf) took her back to the Woodland Realm where she was adopted by a wise elleth.

That is where she met him.

 

\----------

 

Today was Mereth Nuin Giliath, the Feast of Starlight.

 

The elleth (female elf) skipped happily down the halls in search of her 'grandmother'. She was young, a mere 20 winters, her long silky locks flowed from her head to her waist. Her feet tapped lightly against the smooth stone of the palace.

 

She donned a pair of dirty brown hunting trousers that were worn in places. A dark coloured tunic, accented by a leafy green covered her small torso. Her hair was knotted and tangled, leaves emerged from the mess atop her head and twigs were strewn through the lot, sometimes small bugs would fall from the nest, that was her hair and she set each of them down on nearby plants and roots.

 

She had unknowingly crossed into the royals quarters.

 

As she skipped she hummed the tune her grandma had taught her . As she rounded corners of the hall she came across an ellon.

 

He too, was quite young, perhaps the same age as she. His hair was not nearly as long as hers and only reached down to the middle of his back but hers was not nearly as beautiful. It was like liquid silver, cascading down his shoulders and over his chest.

 

"You are not allowed to be here, these rooms are for the royal family only." His warning came firmly. He hadn't looked up from where he was gazing and leaning over one of the balconies.

 

Undeterred, she meandered over to his side and hauled herself up onto the balcony railling to look at him. His eyes snapped to her, his cheeks were stained with tear tracks. Neither said anything. The silence was defeaning.

 

"I like your eyes they're very pretty," She complimented.

 

"I don't like you, leave me alone," He huffed, turning and striding away.

 

"Hey i have an idea, i'll teach you my super secret handshake!" She chirped and jogged after him.

 

"I don't wanna learn your stupid handshake, go away." He replied grumpily.

 

"Well too bad, Grumpy you are going to, whether you like it or not."

 

What occured next happened so fast, even he couldn't comprehend it with his heightened elvish senses.

The next thing he knew he was butt down on the ground with his legs crossed and the strange elleth sitting opposite him. His face must have been one of bewilderment because she just giggled at him and stuck her hands out in front of her, gesturing for him to copy.

He just sighed and his shoulders slumped, complying he moved his arms out before him. "Fine."

\----------

Oropher came looking for his ion (son) after the feast had finshed, angered by Thranduil's defiance and their earlier argument.

What he came across in the halls on the way to his chambers was quite peculiar. All his anger washed away and a gentle smile adorned his face.

There, was his hot-headed son, laying limply against another young elfling who had a toothy grin stretched across her face.

His hair had been twisted into many sloppy braids, obviously those of a beginner. His cheeks still puffy and red with tears. Though his appearance was messy, a faint smile curved at his lips.

He raised an elegant eyebrow at the hyper female elfling. "And what are you doing here child?"

"I was showing Grumpy how to do the super secret handshake- did you know that Grumpy can't even braid his own hair! I had to do it for him!"

\----------

They were attached at the hip from that day forth, where one was found, the other was not far behind.

They were polar opposites. Where she was loud and energetic he was quiet and calculating. Where he was angry she was happy.. He was brutally strong and she was wicked fast. Though they were both stubborn warriors.

They complimented eachothers strengths and weaknesses. The perfect team.

\----------

On the day of her Coming of Age Ceremony, he gifted her a thin chain necklace of mithril. A dancing elk sat, hung around her neck, small flecks of crystal spotted on its surface.

That's when she knew, she loved him

\----------

Millenia passed, she was there for him through it all.

She was there for his coming of age, where she got him a similar necklace, the two pieces fit together.

His first expedition to Lothlorien as a speaker for his father.

His first round of guard duty. Where he came back to her and complained about how boring it was.

His first hunt, where he ended up bringing back an abandonned snowy white, elk fawn and a great boar. He gave her the fawn, and they cared for it together over their shared love for elk.

His first battle, where they both came back traumatised. They slept in her much smaller room that night. It wasn't an uncommon occurence after all.

She was there when he was burned by dragonfire

She was there during his rehabilitation sessions

She was there while he healed

She was at his side during the Battle of Dagorlad.

She was at his side when his father fell. Where he wept quietly on her shoulder that night. As Oropher was as as much his father, as hers.

She was there when he became Elvenking, he then appointed her his Most Trusted Advisor and General of his army.

She was there when he found his love.

She watched as she was replaced.

She was there when his wife Manwathiel gave the news, she was pregnant.

Hell, she was even there when his child was born.

And when his wife was kidnapped and killed.

And when he went berserk looking for her.

And when he discovered what happened. They found her ring, it was drenched in her blood.

She was there when he locked himself away, leaving her to govern his kingdom in his abscence, as their people looked to her, his right hand.

She was there to care for his child, Legolas, when Thranduil was 'too busy'.

She was there when he put up his walls, when his heart froze over with an unbreakable layer of ice. When he pushed everyone away. Including her.

And through it all she stuck a smile on her face and covered the slow cracking of her heart with enthusiastic laughing ahd a skip in her step.

She convinced herself that if he was happy with his life, she would be content watching him live it.

\----------

Though every single night the ice over his frozen walls would thaw and crack until his heart was within reach.

At the conclusion of each day, they would meet in the stables. The female elk they had nurtured as elflings had grown and found a mate, eventually birthing young, which continued on, so every fifty years or so the mated pair would give birth to twins. A sign from the Valar themselves.

On this night the stars looked down on them, gracing them with the light of a thousand suns. They were brighter than ever tonight.

Walking over to the stables she opened the gate. There lay Braicthel, her mount. She had long ago lost count of their generations.

Braicthel was still panting heavily, laying on her side, it did not look as though she would make it through the night. Beside her exhausted form were two smaller figures.

Two newborn elk, a male and female, as always. Their coats were still damp and their forms were shivering. Kneeling beside Braicwathiel she rested her hand against her nose. The elk was still breathing heavily, time was fading.

"Hey girl," She smiled gently, pulling the animals head into her lap she drew slow soothing circles through her coat.

"I know you don't have much time left." The female was still panting heavily. Sighing she cleared her throat.

"Lay down, your sweet and weary head  
Night is falling, you have come to journeys end  
Sleep now, and dream of the ones who came before  
They are calling, from across the distant shore,"

Braicwathiel had stopped breathing now, smilling sadly she removes the elk's head from her lap and rests it against the soft hay.

Thranduil doesn't come that night, or the next, or the next.

\----------

Little does she know, he was on his way to the stables, though he was stopped by a warrior of his guard.

The warrior wordlessly hands him the message.

Thranduil stands there staring at her, his posture rigid and tense, his knuckles white and his eyes red with fury, and betrayal.

In his shaking hand is a letter, addressed to Sauron, of the happenings within his Kingdom.

He knows the writing, he knows the way she flicks the pen against the paper when she writes.

And at the very bottom, her name is signed, in bold black ink.

\----------

He doesn't notice the way his 'guard' walks away with a smug smile on his face.

\----------

She doesn't see Thranduil for another week.

She skips through the corridors to her room as she normally does. Though the halls are empty today. Odd. Her face is adorned with its usual smile.

Her elven ears perk up when she hears the telltale signs of a stalker. There is a quiet tap tap against the stone floors and some shuffling.

Her muscles tense instinctually, and she reaches for the bladed staff on her back, though nothing comes.

\----------

As she lies in bed that night eyes staring at the grains of wood in the roof over her head she drifts to sleep.  
\----------

Her eyes snap open as a gag is forced into her mouth and she is pulled harshly from the bed and pinned to the floor. A shadow obscures her vision of the lamp light in the corridor.

She knows this figure.

He raises his boot and that is the last she sees. Lights out

\----------

She wakes in the throne room. Her hands are bound behind her back and her wrists burn, she is on her knees.

She observes everyone in the room. The guards behind her stare ahead, stoically ignoring her.

Thranduil sits atop his carven throne, his fingers tapping methodically against the arm rest.

"Grumpy? What is going on?" His attention turns to her and she finds his eyes blazing.

"You will address me as King, scum." His words are icy, the malice in them, unhidden. She visibly flinches at his tone. And for a moment a flicker of regret seems to cross his gaze, but it is gone as fast as it appears.

"My King-" The words taste funny on her tongue, she was so used to calling him 'Grumpy' that she had never actually called him by his title.

"-what is the meaning of this?"

"I think you know exactly why you are here." He drawls, almost lazily, if not for the fire in his eyes.

Confusion must have flashed across her face, as he stands from his throne, descending the stairs.

"You are here because you are a spy of the Dark lord-"

"What! I have done no such thing!"

"Silence!" His voice echoes through the room.

"Messages were delivered to me by warriors raiding nearby orc encampments, messages written by your hand. They communicated information between this realm and Mordor. But you already knew that didn't you?" His calm tone was undecieving.

Her mouth fell open in shock. She had no words, nothing to say to defend herself.

He smirked, "Take her to the pit, no food or water."

She was dragged numbly from the room. She didn't protest, didn't cry, didn't scream.

Nothing.

The first piece chipped away.

\----------

He sat on his throne brewing silently, a storm waiting to be released.

More messages were found, she was planning to kill his son. His son! She had pratically raised him.

The small part of him argued that she can't have wanted to kill his son, if she did she would have done so years ag- No! She is a traitor and traitors must be punished.

\----------

No-one came to Legolas' room that night. Normally she would read to him while his father sat and listened too.

After waiting for an hour at least he made his decision.

Curious and impatient, he left his bed and trotted down the corridor to his fathers room.

Upon entering he found Thranduil strewn across the couch like a ragdoll. A bottle of strong Dorwinion wine, in one hand and the other raking through his hair.

"Ada! (Dad)Ada! Ada? What's wrong?" The elfling frowned. Why was his father acting so.... weird.

"Go back to bed Legolas, it is late, you have your studies tomorrow," Thranduil slurred drunkenly.

"Ada? Where is Nana?" This question snapped Thranduil out of his haze. He really hoped Legolas didn't mean what he thought he meant.

"Your Nana (Mum/Mom) has travelled to the Halls of Mandos, you know this."

Thranduil prayed silently that Legolas would accept that answer and leave.

"No i mean Nana, my other Nana. She didn't come and read to me tonight,"

That witch! She had brainwashed his son!

"Did she tell you to call her that Legolas?" Thranduil bit out sharply.

The elfling seemed to grow nervous under his fathers stare. He scraped the tip his foot against the floor and lowered his eyes to the floor.

"Well no, but i thought that because she's around so often, she could just be my pretend Nana. Everyone else has a Nana."

Thranduil was fighting to stay in control, to spare his young son the sight of his infamous temper.

"Go back to bed Legolas. You will not see anymore of that elleth."

"But Ada-" He whimpered.

"Enough Legolas! Bed! Now!" Thranduil shouted.

The elfling felt tears pooling his eyes, fighting to keep them in he rushed from the room like he had been burned.

He wanted his Naneth. (Mother)

\----------

Weeks passed, she didn't long for his presence anymore. She loved him, and would continue to love him, even if he was the one to drive a sword through her heart. As elves only love once.

She no longer counted the seconds till his arrival, the minutes since she had last seen him. No.

Something new had replaced that.

Fear.

Everyday. He would saunter down that stone staircase, a look of death upon his brow. Whip in hand.

She would shiver and whimper, but no tears ever escaped her eyes.

And at the end of each day, she would say the same thing.

"I have done nothing wrong, it wasn't me."

And at at the end of each day he would reply

"I do not believe you,"

Another piece fell away

\----------

Her sanity was slipping away, she was a strong elleth, but the constant whippings were ebbing away at her mind.

He wiped the red substance from his hand, his blood lust satisfied. It physically hurt him to see her in pain, but his realm needed answers. She needed to be punished for her traitorous actions.

Her words were ear shattering, they rung through his ears like a bell in an empty room.

She had been sentenced to death.

The decision to execute an elf was not made lightly as they were immortal beings. They were born few and far in between. This was a punishment of the highest caliber.

\----------

That night as he lay in bed he thought of what tomorrow would bring. He would never see her again. They would cast spells that would tether her soul to this world, forever imprisoning her here. Forever punishing her for her actions. He would never see her again

It shocked him like a lightening bolt had run through his veins. He stared wide eyed at the ceiling above him.

He loved her.

He did. But she was a traitor and traitors do not deserve mercy.

\----------

She was shackled and chained. Her body was weak, they weighed her down. She wanted to fade, to leave this world and go on to the next, to piece herself back together, as she had done nothing wrong.

But she couldn't, she had to see him.

They cast the curses and spells, tethering her soul to the ground beneath her feet.

The cart was a prison cell with wheels. The walls were bars, she leaned against the side, hissing as her wounds reopened when her shoulder came in contact with the cold steel.

If this was what love brought her, she would not love. Never again. In this life. Or the next.

The thin chain necklace around her neck pulled against her heart.

She reached her heavy arms behind her head and for the first time in millennia, she pulled the necklace free from her neck, gripping it tightly.

Another piece.

\----------

She was carried through the village, he watched from his balcony.

Her words carried on the wind to his ears. "Gi melin," (I love you)

In a whisper he replied "I do not love you,"

Another piece chipped away

Her eyes snapped to his, sadness in them. Tears rolled down her cheeks staining them.

His eyes widened.

In all the years he had known her she never cried. Not once. When his father died she was his rock, his strength.

His heart ached for her. Longed for her.

\----------

Legolas had gotten to the carriage faster than the eye could see.

"Nana! Nana! What is happening?! Where are you going?!"

Her heart broke for the elfling, it warmed her heart that he considered her, his mother. He should not have to lose his mother twice.

The guards moved from their posts to pull the young prince away.

"Leave him be, the young prince deserves the truth. He needs closure. If not for me, for him."

The guards considered this. "You have two minutes, wench!"

Sighing she unclenched her fist and handed the necklace to him through the bars.

"You keep this for me, okay Legolas, i will come and get it back, keep it safe for me. I love you and your father so, so, so much. You be strong for him okay, he's going to need help running the realm because I'm going away for away for a while. Can you do that for me?"

The elfling nodded his head quickly "Yes i can do that Nana. When will you come home?"

He tilted his head quizzically, another piece of her heart fell away.

"Nana won't be back for a very long time, take care of your Ada."

"Gwestog?" (Do you promise?)

"Yes,"

"Time's up wench!"

"Goheno nin ionneg, gi melin Legolas," (I'm sorry my son, i love you Legolas)

The cart pulled away, leaving a confused elfling in its wake.

\-----------

"Ada where is Naneth going?"

"Away."

Legolas caressed the the thin chain necklace around his neck through his tunic.

\----------

The next day two guards burst into the throne room with another 'guard' being dragged between them.

"What is the meaning of this?"

"We found this ellon impersonating a guard."

This was the guard who had delivered the messages and all the ones after.

Thranduil stood from his throne abruptly.

"Have his room searched! Now!"

The two dropped the elf in a heap on the ground and made for the door. His maniacal laughter echoed through the room.

His skin began to melt away revealing the decaying corpse beneath. Thranduil pulled his sword free from its place at his waist.

The orc-elf just laughed some more. "You're too late princess, we've already got her."

The words sunk in and his eyes grew wide with disbelief.

Its head was gone in one clean swipe.

"All of you-" he shouted to the guards in the throne room "-with me!"

He had never run faster in his life

\----------

"Ada! Where are you going?" Yelled his son as he watched his father mount his Elk.

"I am going to bring Nana back ionneg."

He would bring her home, he would nurture her back to health, if she wanted to sail to Valinor he would go too.

He would bring her back, even if it took to the worlds end for him to make it up to her. He would do it for her.

Anything for her.

\----------

She lay there bloody and bruised against the ground, her heart beating faintly in her chest.

Putting her ear to the ground, she listened. The gentle thump thump of approaching horses caressed her pointed ears.

"Just one last goodbye meleth nin,"

Her mind began to fade.

\----------

The sight that he met was horrific, nothing could've prepared him for it.

He had been through hundreds of wars. But this- this was nothing like that.

His love hadn't been bleeding out into the soil beneath her.

\----------

He found her crumpled frame leaning against a rock. Broken. Torn.

She was holding a hand to the wound at her side. It was sparsely bleeding.

"No, no, no, no, no-" he skidded to a halt on his knees by her side.  
"-hold on meleth help is almost here. Just a bit longer!"

Too his relief, her eyes fluttered open. "Grumpy?"

Tears sprung to his eyes. "Yes! myYes. It's me."

Her head tilted to the side and her brow furrowed. "No you're not my Grumpy, you can't be. He doesn't like me."

His heart sank as he realised what was happening.

Her mind was lost.

"You must be an angel. I'm going to call you Pretty, is that ok?"

She was breathing heavily now, he just nodded his head numbly.

"Pretty, if you see my ion, can you tell him i love him and when he lets the arrow loose he needs to lift his elbow up a little more and that he needs to actually hold the arrow up."

Her ion. Even in her mentally wrecked state she still recognised his son as her own.

She was muttering dreamily now.

"I miss my Grumpy, can you tell him that if you see him? You know i think I've loved him for as long as I've been alive.-"

His icy walls cracked and thawed. If she had loved him that long that means she watched him kiss another and conceive an elfling with them.

"-what did i do? Did i do something wrong? Is that why he hates me?"

"No! No! He could never hate you. He loves you, remember?"

"No, i don't remember at all. He never said that."

That's right, he never said that. He never told her the words. They had never left his lips.

"Help is almost here just keep talking." He soothed, talking to himself more than her.

Her face turned solemn, like she had pushed through the insanity.

"I don't want to be here anymore, there is no-one left Thran. No-one." She whispered out brokenly.

"That's not true! You have me and Legolas and our kingdom. Please he needs his Nana." He pleaded with her.

"You're right he deserves a loving mother that will be there beside him, not hobbling around behind him, dragging him down.-"

"-I promised him i would come home, but i lied. I don't want to go home."

"I'm sorry! Please, I'll make it up to you for all of this. Everything i did. Please! Please." He whispers out.

"I have nothing left here- nobody,"

"I need you, we both do-" His heart squeezed.

"No you don't! You would have me leave this world either way! Leave!" His heart chipped away, bleeding out.

"No i need to bring you home with me!"

"I don't want to go through that again. I don't want love, i don't want it. It hurts too much." She wheezed out and dissolved into another coughing fit, blood pouring from her mouth.

Her breathing slowed and then came to an abrupt stop.

"What have i done?"

His heart clenched and twisted inside his chest, the pain was unreal. It was like a burning sword had ripped through him. Slowly. Painfully.

He brought a hand to his chest as more tears fell.

No!

Not her!

Please.

Never her.

\----------

The birds took flight from the trees as a sorrowful roar pierced the forest. 

\----------

When Elrond arrived on the scene, elves stood with their backs facing the clearing where the massacre had occurred. Their heads down, some even had tear trails trekking down their faces. Out of respect for their King and General they had given them privacy and turned away.

Thranduil was kneeling against the ground cradling a limp form in his arms, rocking them back and forth as though that would bring them back.

Ear piercing wails emitted from him.

He screamed to the Valar to bring her back, he bargained his title, his kindom, his life. Everything he had

He clutched her to his chest whispering to her.

Whispering everything they could have done- should have done.

Everything they never had a chance to do.

There was nothing there anymore.

He was hollow.

Empty.

The great Elvenking hadn't shed a tear since his wife had died.

Now they came in rivers.

\----------

He had been too late

Too distrusting

Too oblivious

Too impulsive.

Too hotheaded

He took her for granted, she was always there for him.

She carried him through life with her steady stream of laughter and bright smiles.

She hadn't died of her wounds, she had faded.

Faded. Because her heart and mind had broken.

He was the cause, he beat her till her mind broke, he hurt her till her heart shattered.

He beat her down and broke her till she couldn't pick up the pieces.

\---------

Elrond Peredhil, the greatest healer of middle earth, among the wisest Eldar alive had nothing to say.

Nothing he could do would soothe the grieving Elvenking.

Elrond sent his heart out to Thranduil. Who would never see his beloved again.

They had an elfling didn't they? How would he take it?

\----------

When the elves of Greenwood learnt their General was innocent, they celebrated for she had saved many lives during the wars.

She was the King's better half.

Their smiles disappeared however when the crowds greeted their King at the gates.

His face was cold. Distant.

But his eyes- his eyes, their blue had dulled to a grey. They say the eyes are the window to the soul.

Through the eyes they saw his fëa. Shattered, broken.

At the very front of the hordes of people was Legolas. Patiently awaiting the return of his parents. A grin, stretching from ear to ear.

\----------

"Ada where is Nana? I thought she was coming home?"

"She is gone Legolas." He whispered out.

"I don't understand, she promised me, where has she-"

"She is dead! Okay Legolas! She is dead!" He regretted the words as soon as they left his mouth. The elfling stepped back like he was staring into they eyes of the devil himself

"B-But we c-can't d-d-die! We will see her in Valinor won't we!?"

His father sighed and pulled the teary elfling into his arms.

The elfling pulled her necklace from inside his tunic, holding it out to his father.

His father took the necklace and closed his sons smaller hand around it.

\----------

The forest saddened. The trees wailed and swayed, a heavy fog fell over the vast expanse of woodland and the clouds blocked the sun from the sky, sending torrents of rain to the earth.

The land mourned for her too.

\----------

Many came, from far and wide to her burial. But he didn't care.

Memorials were erected for the Elvenqueen. Not even Manwathiel had earned that title.

Legolas aged and matured. He gave her necklace back to his father before he sailed.

His people followed after.

He watched as the kingdoms of men rose and fell, until he was the last of the Eldar upon middle earth, but still he could not leave.

He could not fade, no matter how much he wanted to.

He was waiting

Waiting for something.

Or someone.

\----------

4515 words

Well that was super long. Thanks for reading.

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	2. Home

Once again, I do not own Lord of the Rings, or The Hobbit, or any of Tolkien's characters featured in this story.

Enjoy =)

\----------

They were all gone now. All of them. He was the last.

Millenia had passed, the world had morphed to an unrecognizable place. Thranduil endured through it all. His mind blank, his body aching, his heart, broken.

It seemed the Valar meant to torture him for his sins. To pay him back for all the pain he had caused, both intentionally and unknowingly.

That is, until one day

\----------

There were hardly any open fields now, any forests. The beauty of Mirkwood still existed like all the other past elven kingdoms. But their beauty remained unknown to the race of man.

No mortal would ever find them.

But unlike their dwellings, their history had been erased. It had vanished. No traces of the Eldar could be found upon the earth. Time had faded all memory of elves, dwarves, hobbits, even orcs.

All was gone.

All except him.

The fields were replaced by large stone towers, flowing rivers, by oil and pollution

They had found ways to kill Arda, now known as Earth. They released their toxins, poisons and chemicals into the air, killing themselves and everyone around them. Yet they denied their fate and continued their slow descent towards death.

\----------

The kingdoms of men had long since fallen to greed and war. The descendants of Elessar had been scattered and he had lost track of them through time.

Yes, he had even sunk so low as to keep track of mortals. But Aragorn son of Arathorn was the good friend of his son, Legolas. One of his only connections to her.

Her

\----------

His heart tightened and clenched inside his chest in a familiar pain. Even after all this time, his soul had never felt whole after that. He had never felt whole.

When two elves wed their souls become entwined and the bond is unbreakable, even in death. Taking another is rare, when one of the pair die the other is not far behind.

When Manwathiel had died he hadn't felt the tearing of souls or the withering heartbreak. No.

But after so long he had come to understand why. The Valar never intended for them to be together. She had found another in the halls of Mandos. He had learned of such in a dream.

Manwathiel would always have a place in the cracked and broken remnants of his heart as she was the mother of his child. But his heart belonged wholly to another.

\----------

As Thranduil strolled down the street towards the airport, his hands hidden deep within the pockets of his expensive italian suit, he fondled the special mithril necklace in his pocket and clenched his hand around it.

Thranduil's physical appearance remained mostly unchanged. A single feature had been altered, His eyes. They were no longer a striking ice blue, but a startling metallic silver.

\----------

He was walking through the vast airport when he spotted it.

A newspaper stand had not been far from where he stood. On the very front cover was a page titled 'Her generosity knows no bounds.'

With his elven eyes he familiarised himself with the image beneath.

Everything was so normal for him, like he had seen this figure every single day of his life.

But that was not what caught his attention.

Tattooed on the forearm of the woman was the familiar shape of a dancing elk.

\----------

The speed at which he moved was suspiciously fast. His dormant elven senses had reawakened driving his body full force towards the glimmer of hope printed on the pages of this paper.

He had snatched the paper from the stand faster than the seller could tell him off.

"Oi! Mister, do you plan on paying for that!?" Yelled the plump storekeeper as Thranduil skimmed hurriedly through the page.

He whipped his wallet out and seized the first note he reached.

"Keep the change!" He yelled over his shoulder as he swiftly walked away, focused intently on the gold in his hands.

He missed the look of the dumbstruck seller, who had the crumpled note of a $100 bill in his hand.

\----------

He had instructed his pilot to fly him straight to the city printed on the paper.

He spent his entire plane trip researching her.

She was a world renown artist, famous for her intricate paintings of forest and wildlife, as well as her take on art.

She was only young, 27 years old. Fury shined within him. She had been alive for 27 winters without his knowledge.

She was very well known for her generosity, as she had donated more than half of her earnings to shelters for animals and people alike, the homeless, the starving, the hopeless.

Her heart had not changed one bit.

He was sure it was a lie the first time his fingers typed in the characters on the keyboard.

After hours upon hours of research he came to a conclusion.

It was her.

He was absolutely sure it was her, every minute that passed that feeling grew stronger.

\----------

The pull in his chest directed him, and he trusted his instincts. His soul had yearned for her presence since the second she had left him.

He navigated himself to a modern house on the corner of two adjoining streets.

The lights were off in the home and he assumed she had gone to sleep.

Without thinking twice, he whipped out his leather gloves and slipped them on. He had already changed out of his suit, into a pair of blue jeans, a plane white v-neck shirt and another expensive jacket.

He strode purposefully across the front yard of the property and vaulted on to the second storey of the house. His elven grace had not failed him.

He quietly slipped open a window and climbed in stealthily.

He had climbed straight in to what seemed to be, her drawing or perhaps painting room.

His heart completely stopped at the sight his eyes met.

\----------

The room was filled to the brim with art.

Paintings, sketches, drawings.

Most were different, though they all had one thing in common and Thranduil recognised each one of them, they sent a chill slithering down his spine. They were memories. Her memories.

Though these ones were not of the good kind.

These were splattered with red.

He recognised a room that had been sketched out. It was much like many of the other cells in the pit. Dark, damp, cold.

These were the memories of the torture he inflicted on her.

Every fibre of his being ached in regret. Soul consuming regret. The emotion was so powerful that he hunched over, caving in on himself, clenching his hands against the fabric of his shirt and his heart that lay beneath.

\----------

When he recovered from his attack a flicker of hope swelled in his belly. Even if she remembered his sins there was still a chance she remembered him.

\----------

A sudden bombardment of light shocked him from his trance. There she stood. Bat in hand, as beautiful as the day he had last laid eyes upon her. In her grasp was a sleek silver aluminium baseball bat, raised in the air ready to strike.

He didn't miss the look in her eyes though.

Fear.

Not the kind of fear you experience when you discover a cockroach crawling up your leg. No. This was the kind that had been brewing for thousands of years. The kind that had seeped through lifetimes, forever scarring the soul.

"No, no, no! This isn't happening. You are just another hallucination, i must have skipped my meds tonight. Yes! That's it! I'll go take them right now!" Before he could even comprehend the words that had blurted from her mouth, she was off, down the stairs, towards the kitchen.

And then he was right on her tail, tackling her at the bottom of the stairs. She screamed and shrieked as she went down, his frame pinning her to the polished oak floor.

\----------

She wailed and thrashed as he held her in an unyielding grip. The slumbering warrior in her coming forth. Her stubbornness was also rearing its ugly head. After 20 minutes of struggling, she gave in and retreated into herself, whining and shaking. He would have sighed in relief if it weren't for the situation and the fact that she had begun to sob

"It is ok. All is well. I will not bring harm to you. I am going to release my hold now, just stay calm." His control over her withdrew, though he desperately yearned for her presence. He drew back cautiously, giving her space. She whimpered and shuffled into a corner to settle her erratic heartbeat like cornered prey. She hadn't taken her eyes from him once as she edged further away.

He crouched at the bottom of the staircase, his eyes taking her in. When he spoke next, his voice was gentle and soothing "Please Meleth, i just want to talk." (love)

"N-No, you're here. please don't hurt me." She curled further into herself.

"Do you remember me Meleth?" There it was, the big question.

"Yes." She hiccuped out, "You are King Thranduil of The Woodland Realm, son of Oropher, husband of the deceased Queen Manwathiel an-and father to L-Legolas-" Something seemed to have struck her in that moment causing a momentary relapse, her face contorted into shock, concern and panic, "Legolas! Where is he? I promised him i would-i would-" She dissolved into another fit of tears.

It seemed as though she remembered bits and pieces, memories with sentimental value. Like Legolas. And him. Though she remembered nothing of their 7 or so thousand year period of time together, he could work with this.

As he moved to advance towards her she noticed and flinched, retreating away from him.

"Please leave me alone, i have done nothing wrong, i swear, it wasn't me."

His eyes fluttered closed and he recoiled from her as if he had been burned, stumbling into the stairwell. The images flashed behind his eyelids and struck him like a spear in the chest. His own words driving it deeper and deeper.

"You will address me as King, scum."

"Take her to the pit, no food or water."

"I do not believe you."

"I do not love you."

Without a word to her, he clawed at his chest, turning and fleeing her house.

\----------

The next day he returned, though like the civilized individual he was impersonating, he used the front door.

His heart had only thrummed this fast 2 times in his life. When the wails of his newborn son graced the his ears and the moment he received word that she had been ambushed.

In a way, his life depended on this confrontation.

Before his courage dissipated, he brought his arm up, rapping his fist on the door.

There was a brief wait, before the door was flung open, and a ruffled young woman stood, glaring at him. Her gaze softened for a second before the familiar fear coated her eyes and stepped back.

He raised his hands slowly, showing her he meant no harm, before he extended his left arm bringing her focus to the small plant in his grasp.

Athelas, she had seen this plant before. It had not been seen in the gardens of men for hundreds of years..

They had helped the healers grow this plant in the Greenwood of old, as young elflings, merely half a century old.

The recognition seemed to flash across her face.

How Thranduil had managed to come by this rare plant escaped her, though it did make sense that he was currently offering her an extinct plant, as he was older than the dirt beneath her feet.

She gingerly reached out and grabbed the plant, bringing it to eye level. She expected him to lash out like he had before, he remained still, a softness in his stare.

Her alertness never left. She gifted him a small smile, like she had when they were old friends that shared absolutely everything, before she closed the door softly.

That went well.

Hope was kindled.

\----------

Weeks went on and time passed, each day he returned to her and each day pieces of her returned to him.

\----------

His knuckles came to rest upon the polished wooden frame of her front door, a sharp knock resounding on the other side. There was a shuffle of clothing and some hurried footsteps.

The door swung open and he was greeted by the sight of a scarcely clothed human man. He was physically well built, tall and possibly intimidating, though he was a mere pup next compared to the great might of the Elvenking Thranduil. Raising his chin and stretching to his full height the son of Oropher lowered his tone and pretended to analyse the man, eyeing him up and down.

"And who might you be?" The stranger asked with one eyebrow raised.

"That is none of your concern. I am looking for the woman who dwells here, now if you would kindly why step aside." He stated in an almost mocking voice.

"I am afraid i can't do that. You see-" from behind the doorway, she stepped out, a scarlett t-shirt hastily thrown over her shoulders, and sinking past her knees. When she saw him a look of shock and almost guilt enveloped her features. "-We're a little, what's the word? Ah yes, preoccupied." The stranger asked with a smug smile etched into his features.

It was like this man knew.

Jealousy was a green eyed monster. A monster who was currently making himself comfortable in the pit of Thranduil's stomach.

"Of course. Well, do give these to her will you? Good day." With that he turned his back to the house and left, striding towards his silver Lamborghini Veneno.

He had just gotten into his car when she came flying out of the house. "Thran wait!"

He wound his window down as she came towards his car. "I'm sorry about him. he's an ass sometimes. What are you doing here anyway?"

"The same thing i do everyday." I'm making sure you're okay, he thought.

"Oh that's right, sorry i forgot-" Her face was apologetic and still seemed guilty."-about before-"

"It's fine. I'll see you tomorrow." He cut her off and didn't give her the chance to reply before he was speeding down the road, his heart in his throat. This incident only seemed to strengthen his determination.

This was not a chance he would wait another eternity for.

\----------

Days went on, months passed by. He slowly regained her heart. Simple things like lingered touches, longing looks confirmed this for him. There were only two obstacles in the way now. Her so called 'boyfriend' and the fact that her fear of him hadn't dissipated.

She thought he didn't notice. Each time he made sudden movements she would flinch. Like when he reached for his coffee the other day, his movement had startled her. Then there were the knives. anytime he was near any kind of weapon, she was either subconsciously or consciously be on her guard.

This was not enough to deter him.

\----------

She had been quiet recently, more than usual. It couldn't be her usual fear, he was absolutely sure they had gotten past that.

\----------

It was a few days after he had noticed this, when she had shown up on the door of his apartment, drenched with rain and soaked to the bone. Tears trailing down her cheeks. His heart wanted revenge for the cause of her strife.

He had immediately taken her into his house and whipped off his black long coat, wrapping it around her shoulders. It was only then that he had noticed her face had been marked, as well as the fact that she flinched when he touched her arm. At first he had thought she was afraid and his heart sunk to the depths of Mordor. Then he rolled up her sleeve.

His eyes widened in horror, sadness and blinding rage aimed at the one who did this to her. Along her arm were multiple finger shaped bruises. Even large red marks.

He didn't need an explanation for this, it was self explanatory.

All his years of patience and poise as the Elvenking deserted him as he stood. Red tinted his sight, his fingers became twitchy with adrenalin as did the rest of the muscles in his body. In the times of old, he prepared like this before a battle.

Nothing stood in his way when he was like this.

Except her of course. She would always be the exception.

Instead of making for her house he lifted the expensive antique coffee table from the wooden floor and hurled it at the wall, shattering it to splinters.

His fists continued to clench and unclench by his sides as he breathed harshly. Then he turned towards her slowly, an devilish smile marring his face. The words he spoke next came out sickly sweet.

"Darling, i believe we have some preparation to do."

\----------

Justin paced around the living room of their shared apartment as they had recently moved in together, glass littering the floor, furniture overturned. The scent of alcohol lingered in the air.

The sound of a car pulling up the driveway was enough to lure him from his drunken rampage. But this wasn't the purr of her 1967 Chevrolet Impala. No. This was the sound of an expensive sports car.

What was that posh imbecile doing here! This was none of his concern!

Peering through the window, he watched as the long haired bastard stepped from the car, graceful as ever. Thranduil seemed to lift his nose slightly higher in the air for a moment, almost scenting the air? That’s when his head snapped to the window, his eyes seemingly glowing. A cold stare etched into to his face, a small twitch at the ends of his lips. The look a predator gives cornered prey.

\----------

She approached the house carefully, Thranduil just steps behind her. He knew this was her issue to resolve, though he was promised the leftovers. Justin was in for a treat.

Before the pair even reached the door, it was wrenched open and the puffy red face of a furious Justin came into view, the aroma of alcohol still following him around like a ghost.

"Where the fuck have you been?! I've been fucking worrying for the last 3 hours!" He all but roared.

The fear seemed to swim back into her gaze and he expected her to cower away. Resting a supporting hand on her shoulder, he wordlessly assured her she would be fine.

Justin looked between the two, his eyes narrowing in suspicion.

"You're fucking him aren't you! You little whore!"

And within seconds, the atmosphere went from tense to alert. Justin had lunged at the duo, sending them into action. Thranduil swept elegantly to the left, moving away form the scene to stand vigilant and ready to step in.

Her fiery spirit had returned, circling Justin with all the finesse of a poised hunter. Both her and Thranduil knew that this confrontation would not go down without a fight.

She had scooped low into a crouch, flinging her leg out and catching his ankle as he hurtled past. The brute was brought to the ground within seconds. And he was up in the same amount of time.

Her eyes had not lost their fear, only now, she would not let it bring her down. Because if you can't beat fear, you do it scared.

\----------

Justin was down within minutes and she had promised Thranduil that she would leave a piece for him. He hadn't said anything about what he would do to Justin, in fact he hadn't said anything on the subject. But she did have a good idea, and let's just say, she wouldn't wish that fate on even the worst of her enemies. He was undeterred. They would never find the body.

\----------

Justin came to in a cold stone room, the design like nothing he had ever seen before. He could make out a staircase to the left and an array of- his heart stopped beating- whips.

Thranduil stood in the corner, his eyes glowing bright in the darkness. Blue. Ice blue.

It seemed that the ruthless Elvenking had not been lost. That wicked smile graced his sculpted features, bordering on insane.

"You hurt what is mine. I wish to return the favour."

\----------

During her short stay in Thranduil's rather grand apartment, her memories swarmed her.

He sat with her on the couch, both of them wrapped in a cocooned in a mountain of blankets. She lay curled in his loving embrace, tucked beneath his chin. She told him everything and he listened.

It was only hours after her arrival when she was struck with a wave of feelings. Emotions. Memories. The good and the bad, the heartwarming and the saddening, the joyful and the painful. All of it.

With a sigh she brought her forearm into sight, looking at the dancing elk with nostalgia.

Thranduil noticed this, he broke free from the warmth to stand, taking her hand gently and pulling her to stand with him. He reached into into the pocket of his slacks and pulled free a silver chain, an elk dangling on the end.

Her eyes widened with old pain and love at the sight.

"I know that you may not wish to see this ever again but i figured it is, as the humans say 'worth a shot'."

He extended the piece of fine mithril jewellery to her.

"Legolas kept it around his neck, since the day you left us." He finished in nearly a whisper. His eyes closed in guilt and torment. A soft hand on his cheek caused him to open his eyes.

"It is in the past, i have moved on, i have forgiven you. You need to forgive yourself." She said softly, looking into his eyes.

"I caused you so much pain. I broke you in every way possible. Mind, body and soul. I do not deserve your forgiveness, i do not deserve you. I do not deserve redemption. I will spend the rest of this lifetime and whatever comes after, making it up to you for the damage i have caused. Till the end of my days." He promised.

She slipped her hand between the fabric of his collar, her hand hot against his skin. She felt the familiar smooth surface of warm metal and pulled it free.

A mithril elk.

Two halves of the same whole

"Gi melin, Thranduil."

"Gi melin, meleth nin."

\----------

Thranduil kept to his promise every single day of their lives together. He introduced her to the world of business, where he was CEO of one of the most successful companies on the planet. Run by the Oropherion 'family'.

She had not had much experience in the ways of running a business, as she was an artist.

Most were stunned to find that one of the most powerful people in the world had wed an artist.

Many seemed to think that she must have lured him into her bed, scheming to take his money and become richer than she currently was. Though anyone with a brain could figure out that this was not the case.

He denied any false accusations made by the press.

"This woman is my love, my life and my light. I have waited for her, for far too long." That was all he would say on the matter. She did get dirty glances from envious females everywhere, she raised her chin and sauntered past them.

They were the power couple of the decade.

\----------

There was always a lingering thought in the back of his mind. He suspected that they were both aware of the matter, but they danced around it.

He would catch her colouring her hair with dye, so it stayed the same colour, hiding the silver sparking in her hair. She would apply more makeup in the mornings, concealing the very faint wrinkles beginning to show. She was barely 38. Still only young.

She was aging

And he wasn't.

The thought struck him hard as he filled out some papers at his desk. He would live on to watch her grow and grow and grow. Eventually he would watch her die. Again.

His heart could not bare the pain again. He would not live through this again. He wouldn't.

He took her into is arms that night, making sweet love to her in the peaceful darkness of their house.

\----------

The enchantment that lay upon the skin of his upper body still remained, as powerful as ever.

He altered it.

His eyes kept their icy blue vastness but his body seemed to waste away.

He grew older with her.

It would always be her.

Only her.

\----------

This continued for years, they both new that he was never going to leave this Earth, this made their moments together only sweeter.

He had never been one for prayer, even as an elf. He had only begged the Valar for life, once before. It seemed they had granted his wish in the cruelest way possible.

Every night he prayed, kneeling at the windowsill, elbows touching the smooth wooden surface forearms raised, hands clenched together head bowed, eyes clenched shut.

Every night.

One night she found him, without a word she came to rest beside him, their communication was silent. They prayed for her, for him, for their life together and all they had built.

The only other way would be for him to sail to the Undying Lands, and leave her to live out her days and go to the resting place of humans in the life after this.

But that would never happen, he would never see her again. He would spend the rest of eternity without her beside him. Perhaps he would even forget her. No. He would not allow this to happen.

\---------

No!

No!

This cannot be happening.

Not again.

There she was as beautiful as the day he first saw her. Wisdom etched into her face. The light of the room was soft and she glowed in it.

His spell was broken, his concentration gone. His elven ears returned, the muscular frame of his body, the scars of his face. He grew once again to the intimidating height of elves. Only now, tears trailed softly down his face.

"My light, please do not leave me. I cannot walk this Earth alone again. Please." The burning blade plunged itself deeper every time her breathing hitched.

He had brought this fate upon her. He had sentenced her to a long drawn out death instead of the quick demise she had begun with.

He had prolonged her suffering.

Him.

"My Grumpy,” she breathed out as her eyes lit up, the life that shone there was unmistakable, carried through their years as children. Through lifetimes. ”You are never alone, you have never walked alone. You carry all of us with you." Us. She said us. As in those who had passed on, and herself.

"Thranduil, i love you. More than the stars and the moon. I love you more as the sun rises each day. More than life.”

She had given up.

Her breathing hitched again and his heart faltered. He didn't hear the sweet inhale of life from her lips.

The blade had rum him through.

Her heart stopped and so did his.

She had left this life.

No pain in the world can compare to the death of your soul. No words can properly express the agony. The torment. None. It spreads like an icy wave numbing your limbs, driving all heat from your body. All the life.

He remembers falling to his knees.

He remembers the long drawn out beep from the machine as she flatlined.

He remembers a nurse entering the room as he hovelled in the shadows. hiding.

He remembers the ringing in his ears.

He remembers the nauseating chemical aroma. The smell of death.

He remembers pounding at the floor, crying out to the lords.

No one heard him.

No one was listening.

\----------

The next day he wakes in their bed. Alone.

The house isn’t home though. Nowhere is home without her.

He is unsure how he made it here but he doesn't care.

All the pain comes crashing back down on him. Sobs escape his lips, he pulls his arm before his face stifling the sound.

Wails and cries echo through the home that week.

The cries of a man who has lost too much. Too many times.

The cries of a man who has no one left to walk with him.

The cries of a broken man.

A man broken beyond repair.

\----------

His life dulled. Greyed.

A day consisted of only three things after that. Sleep. Cry. Pray.

\----------

There was a quiet funeral. No press. His mind was absent through the whole ceremony.

He couldn't look at her family. At her siblings. At her parents.

He couldn't stand to be reminded of her.

Yet here he was.

Many offered their condolences but he was absent. Their words were just noise.

There was so much noise.

\----------

"Mr. Oropherion, how do you feel about your wife's passing?!"

"Are you going to continue to run the company?!"

“How are her family taking this?!”

Mosquitoes.

That's what they were.

Always buzzing.

"No comment.”

\----------

He managed to live without her for 3 weeks before he snapped. He was laying in bed when it happened. Though he couldn't fade, they wouldn't let him.

He was done with the Valar and their games. He would not spend any more of this life without her, he would rather lie could and lifeless. He strode purposefully towards his car, keys in hand.

\----------

The drive wasn’t long. The forest welcomed his presence.

It sensed his sorrow like it had centuries before.

\----------

Drawing the sword from its sheath he readied it before him. Hands clenched at the end, the blade facing his chest, hovering above his beating heart.

He welcomed the familiar sight of his kingdom and its presence.

But it wasn't home. Not anymore.

Without a second thought he plunged it towards his chest.

\----------

He was knocked to the ground before the blade could grant him sweet bliss. In anger, he spun towards the culprit.

Darkness

\----------

"Your misdoings have been redeemed. We have judged you and deemed you worthy. You are free to come home."

\----------

Legolas’ eyes flung open and he jumped from his slumber. A familiar feeling like no other blooming in his chest.

The now fully grown elf wasted no time. Flying around the room like a tornado, he whipped on his leggings, boots, tunic and cloak before grabbing his weapons and springing out the door.

The sea called to him.

It hadn’t done that in a long time.

\----------

A small speck could be seen on the horizon. It stood out against the light of the rising sun.

Many elves had woken from their rest like Legolas, though he was the only one racing full speed down to the beach.

"That is impossible."

"It cannot be."

"All elves left Arda thousands of years ago."

As far as most knew, all elves had left hundreds of thousands of years ago. Most.

Many elves of the Greenwood of old had sailed. Silvan and Sindar alike. They remembered.

Their King had not returned to them.

\----------

From the sea they watched on. Thranduil had wrapped his arm around her waist, bringing her comfort.

Legolas. She could sense him there.

As they neared, elves cheered, familiar faces came forth from the crowd, one by one. But only one stood out to her.

\----------

He was overjoyed at the sight of his father, but he spotted another at his side.

No.

It could not be.

She had passed long ago, he had felt the ache of it in his chest.

\----------

The crowds parted as the couple walked upon land.

Their son stood there.

He had grown.

"Nana?"

She was unsure if the words had even left his lips, they were so quiet. The floodgates burst and she wrapped her arms around him. He spun her in the air, joyful tears tracking down both their cheeks.

The elfling in him was long gone, replaced now by a handsome young elf. He had met his other mother and her husband. Manwathiel could only tell him that her soul was no longer bound with Thranduil's. He did not know if it was a good sign or bad.

But now, as he lay eyes upon his mother, he concluded it was probably a good sign.

Thranduil wrapped his arms around them both as they sunk to the ground.

They were united once again.

They had found home,

Because home,

Is where the heart his.

\-----------

5527 words

Sorry y'all, this one ain't nearly as good as the first one, i couldn't find any inspiration.

And I’m also sorry because she died. Again.

It was also way longer than i intended it to be. Thanks for reading.

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Whatever works for you.


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